Those Darn Kids

Wednesday August 30th – We are leaving Seattle today ready to get back in the wild. Well, at least for one more night. Blake Island is our destination for our last night out. But first, we stocked up on some essentials at the public market and said our goodbyes to the love hate relationship we have with Seattle.

Docks were pretty full at Blake, but we tucked ourselves on the inner most dock shore side. It was a perfect spot! After getting settled we set off on a hike around the island. It was a beautiful day as we hiked along the beach watching an Osprey dive for fish. It was nice to be back in nature again.

Having stocked up on lots of fresh fish in Canada we cooked a slab of Skylar’s salmon over a cedar plank. Skylar loved it, saying “I will never eat salmon any other way”!

Thursday August 31st – Our last day on the water. We packed up then started our last cruise south to Tacoma. Every year it’s always a sad day. You would think we would all want to go home but none of us do. Being out on the water, trapped on a boat most of the time defiantly has its challenges. But, it’s also very rewarding. I always have the urge to just turn the wheel and head back north for another month or so, but those darn kids have to go to school.

During this trip we were out for 48 days and traveled 929 miles. We started the trip with 172 hours on the engine and ended with 276 for a total of 104 hours of run time.

Julie and I are so grateful for our ability to do this with our kids and the time we spend with each other is priceless.




I Have an Idea

Sunday August 27th – On the way back south from every summer boat trip we have made it a tradition to spend a few nights in Seattle for some school clothes shopping.

We had a nice cruise south from Port Townsand to Seattle’s Bell Harbor where we arrived to a boat occupying the slip we were assigned. After getting situated in a different slip we left the boat for the big city. We spent the next couple days having nice dinners out at all our favorite places and lots of shopping for the kids.

Tuesday August 29th – Our last day in Seattle I devised a plan for a dinghy adventure. Julie thought I was a little nuts but the plan went like this. All 4 of us would take the dinghy out of Bell Harbor, into Elliot Bay and head north to the entrance of the locks. The locks lead you from Puget Sound to Lake Union. I thought it would be fun to take our little 13′ dinghy through the locks and I wanted to go to Fisheries Supply and have lunch somewhere on the lake.

We took off cruising like a little speck in the open Elliot Bay then stopped at the Elliot Bay Marina to top off the fuel tank. Cruising around West Point things got a little rough. We continued on, but it made me a little worried about our return where we would be headed into the waves rather than going with them. As we headed into Shilshole Bay a huge salmon jumped right in front of us. We stopped for a while and fished but no bites.

We kept on to the locks, but the trek took quite a bit longer than expected and we still had quite a way to go after getting through the locks. After waiting for about an hour for the locks to open our direction, we piled in with all the boats towering above our little dinghy. Up we went to the lake level then the gates opened flowing us into the fresh water.

The canal getting to Lake Union and the lake itself is a no wake zone. So, we had to slowly motor along all the while the passengers were getting more and more restless and cranky. Hot sun, no food, and the trip taking about 3 times longer than expected didn’t help. We were not prepared. I had severely underestimated the time it would take, and Julie was now giving me the evil eye knowing that as far as we had come we still had to go back. “Isn’t this fun” I said, “look at all the boats”. The heat was getting to them, no response.

We finally made it to Chandlers Crab House where we revived ourselves with some food and beer for the adults. All Ava wanted to do is see the crab boats from Deadliest Catch, so we got back in the hot sun and at 4 knots made it to Fisherman’s Terminal. None of the boats were back from Alaska yet so another detour just caused more heat stroke. Although we did our good deed for the day by rescuing a lady’s umbrella that had blown in the water and floating away. She was very grateful and invited us to see her old Tollycraft houseboat that was all done up mid-century modern style.

After another long wait at the locks we made it back out to the Puget Sound to find calmer seas and a nice trip back to Bell Harbor. All together it was a 7-hour tour and I didn’t even make to Fisheries Supply! No one talked much, we were all exhausted from the sun. It wasn’t all that fun at the time, but it was an adventure that crated fun memories! Julie and I had a nice dinner alone that night at Etta’s.




Customs Makes Teeth Fall Out

Saturday August 26th – Today we are crossing the Strait of Juan De Fuca and making our way south to Port Townsand. Port Townsand doesn’t have a customs dock so a few days ago we requested that the local customs agent meet us at our slip at Point Hudson marina and clear us there. He had to get special authorization and request overtime because it a Saturday, lucky for us he got the go ahead.

Todd and Tami were right behind us so at least he would have two boats to clear. I called the agent on the phone just before our arrival. Just as we pulled into the marina Ava yelled out “I lost a tooth!”. If you want Ava to lose a tooth, just clear customs. This is the second time its happened. Last time I was on the radio with the customs agent when we heard the excited screaming.

After the easiest border crossing of our boating career we lowered the dinghy for a run around Point Hudson to Fort Warden park. We said our good byes to Todd and Tami as they continued on to Tacoma in time for school events starting soon. We had a great summer trip with them and their family!

Fort Warden has a nice sandy beach that we played and relaxed on for a couple hours then Julie and I abandoned the kids on the boat and went to town for a beer. The whole family had dinner at Doc’s Marina Grill that evening while we talked about all our adventures the last few weeks.